After a series of stress fractures, Ryan Vail--the man with the fifth-fastest PR in the field--is out of the Olympic Marathon Trials. He was 11th at the 2012 Trials and announced on Twitter today that he would not be competing on Saturday.

I regret to announce that I will not be competing in the Olympic Marathon Trials as I have been sidelined by a femoral stress fracture (1/2)

— Ryan Vail (@ryanvail) February 10, 2016

I understood the risks attempting top marathon shape in a short period of time, but it is still gut wrenching so close to the race. (2/2)

— Ryan Vail (@ryanvail) February 10, 2016

With 2012 Olympians Ryan Hall retiring and Abdi Abdirahman out with injury, a healthy Vail would have been the ninth returner from the '12 Trials and a strong contender to make the team. But with his third stress fracture in less than a year--Vail had navicular and sacral stress fractures in the second half of 2015, and told us last week that he was already worried about the short buildup--the 2:10 man will not be in the mix in Los Angeles.


READ: DEENA KASTOR DROPPED OUT OF THE OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS DUE TO INJURY

The Olympic Trials Marathon will be live on NBC.